Good Morning! I am Janice Bowers, a Christ Servant Minister here at West Grove United Methodist Church. Pastor Monica is on a well-deserved vacation this week with her family and I have been given the privilege to speak with you this morning. You have been listening to some of the music and highlights from our VBS week on the Rolling River Rampage.…
Prepare the way of the Lord! The prophets declare. During Advent, we are accustomed to hearing those words. Getting ready for what is coming next. Christ, incarnation of love, will be born. During Lent, we listen with earnestness. Easter is coming. The liturgical year circles through preparation and feast, fast and celebration. Our spiritual lives cycle on a larger scale as well. …
In the sporting world, you know you are famous when they make a bobble head of your character. The Philadelphia Phillies have many bobble heads, such as: Jimmy Rollins, Maikel Franco, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton just to name a few. So to be anybody you need to have a bobble head. In the world of theology –…
Paul traveled on an unexpected life journey, going above and beyond. He never expected to be called to be doing all he did. At one time, he was out to get Christians and made a living and purpose in having them persecuted and then God intervened and his purpose changed. It is written that no…
Grace and peace as we return from a full week at Annual Conference. You were well represented by 4 clergy delegates- Pastor Shirley, Pastor Jim, Pastor Kevin, and myself as well as three lay delegates – Susan Paisley, Mike Chalmers, and our new Caring Ministries Deaconess Yvette Diaz. Indeed, God is moving among us as we worshipped, celebrated ordination, retirements, memorials, were…
This morning, we continue in our series on the power of telling stories in parables and continue in the gospel of Mark. This year, we have been reading the gospel of Mark together. We have paired it with our year long verse: Be doers of the word, not just hearers, who deceive themselves, from James 1:22. Lest, you and I only nod…
Today, we begin a series of sermons on the narrative power of telling stories. Jesus told stories everywhere he went. He was a great story teller, stories about planting, lost sheep, and coins. Families and children gathered around Jesus to hear stories. They brought food and laid down their blankets to hear his teachings. Often, he would teach them in parables. Parable…
I wonder if you have heard this one: Several centuries ago in the 1300s, the Pope decreed that Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal: he’d have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in…
After the followers of Jesus had made it through the shock of the death of Jesus, they had amazed it through the resurrection of Christ. They lived in excitement in the 40 days of greatest hits of “tell me another.” The disciples looked at the sky with the ascension wondering where Jesus had really gone as he went up to heaven. Now,…
“DO Believe In Resurrection” Today, we begin a short series, three sermons on belief. Three weeks to ground us on three crucial beliefs that we hold in common in the larger Christian church – resurrection, the vital role of Holy Spirit as we celebrate Pentecost next week, and then the mystery of Trinity as we together ponder Trinity Sunday, the following week.…